A Hundred Year Mission
by ChatNoirChanceux
Summary: Natsu, Lucy and the team have taken on a hundred year mission. How will their new roles in a gang of criminals push them together or pull them apart? Nalu and Gruvia. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

It had been nearly ten years since they had won in their battle against Zeref and Acnologia. Natsu and the gang had set off on another mission: a hundred year mission. The description had seemed simple, an underground, non-mage gang, called the Belusian Gang, had been working and undermining the government by creating these massive weapon stores. Their job was to take on completely new aliases and infiltrate the gang to leak information to Mira who would in turn organize it and send it to the queen. They had all had their guild marks covered by a spell thanks to Levy but had kept their first names to prevent any accidental slip ups.

Lucy had taken on the identity of a fisherman's daughter from Port Hargeon. Her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her father to raise her. In order to make her story more convincing, she claimed her father had been killed by the Royal Knights for a false accusation of treason and that she would do anything to undermine the government's rule over the people.

Natsu was a little tricky because of his fiery personality but Erza had been wise enough to come up with his story. She placed him in Port Hargeon alongside Lucy as a son of a wealthy family. When Lucy had needed to choose someone to marry, he had been the obvious choice to her and her father. Married young, Natsu had "fallen in love" with her and vowed to follow her anywhere. It suited his passionate personality and allowed him to follow her without question, as he was wont to do. His hair was too recognizable so he had decided to dye it a light orange shade.

Erza had been fairly easy to develop a personality for because everyone was too scared to argue. She had owned a bakery in Magnolia, which had been destroyed in the fight against Acnologia. After the battle, Queen Hisui had refused to compensate for the damage and Erza had been left penniless. So, she had spent a year or so traveling until she ran into Natsu, Lucy and Gray in a Bed and Breakfast in the capital city.

Gray had to have an excuse for his stripping of course, which was terribly inconvenient. But Lucy had decided to cast a type of costume spell on him that made his whole torso and legs appear scarred and painful. In doing so he just claimed the clothing irritated his skin and it had become second nature to strip it off. His background had been fairly simple: he had grown up in the woods in the north with his mother, brother and sister. After their mother had died, he and his brother had a falling out and he had gone to join the government system. In response, Gray had looked for a way to oppose that decision and found it in the Belusian Gang. After being caught in one of the highly charged blasts of Acnologia's power, he had run into Natsu and Lucy in a hospital in Hargeon.

Wendy had come along as a vengeful younger sister who resented her eldest brother for leaving them and followed Gray to support him in his decisions. Little known by the world because she was new to Fairy Tail, she didn't have to do anything about her bright hair.

Charle and Happy were hard to figure out because they didn't make much sense to begin with. It was decided that they would serve as messengers for the mission and take refuge in Lucy's apartment when they were in Magnolia.

After all of their back stories had been figured out they had spent a bit of time in Crocus working on building their relationships and interactions as they were supposed to seem while visiting the Queen who had asked them on the mission. She had given them everything they needed to complete their looks and find the gang's location.

It had been almost a nine years since then. They had been very successful in gaining their positions in the gang. Lucy had made herself into a passionate powerhouse of fury and anguish, which fed well into Natsu's natural talent for such behavior. She had instantly become a necessary part of Aco's advisory committee. Aco was the head of the Belusian Gang and had been responsible for thousands of horrible acts over his lifetime. But Lucy was a good actress and she pretended to relish in his gory performances. Natsu found it very difficult as deception was not in his nature, but with Lucy's help he had convinced Aco that he could be trusted. Of course, Natsu hated the guy and it didn't help that he had clearly taken a liking to Lucy in more ways than one. Lucy was oblivious as usual and Natsu found himself growing more and more jealous of the man's presence.

Erza was an absolute god of swordsmanship and naturally had risen in the rankings of the militant division of the gang. She was responsible for training new recruits and keeping old ones on their toes. As expected, she was a perfect actress who trained the recruits with one to two vital weaknesses in their defenses that few could see. If they were to fight the government or Fairy Tail, they would have already lost.

Gray had to be separated from Natsu and so was placed in the kitchens with his "sister". They consistently fed the entire gang foods that were low in vital nutrients. To avoid their own demise each of the team members took regular vitamin supplements provided by Porlyusica and kept up by Happy and Charle.

Each of them had played their role perfectly. But they had written to Mira that they were lacking in the influence over the small council that safe guarded the most important details of the gang. In order to have access to the vault of important documents, one had to be a part of the council. Mira had suggested numerous individuals: Laxus, Elfman, even herself. However, finally she decided the best route would be Juvia. Aco had apparently had a friendship with Jose Porla before his career as a ruthless maniac and would look kindly on her. In addition, Juvia was deeply in love with Gray and would only need to pretend to fall in love again to give her a reason to see them all the time.

It would be a few weeks out before Juvia would come and things were going well.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my gosh!" Lucy laughed loudly, "You have to be joking… Aco, pfffft… that's hilarious!"

Natsu glared at the back of Aco's head as Lucy smiled and held her stomach from laughter. He knew better. I mean he could see that Lucy's smile didn't quite reach her eyes and that it was all an act but still. He guarded Lucy's life with his own and to see her laughing so… boisterously, at a joke she had definitely heard before. It was horrifying. She looked so beautiful.

He knew had had fallen in love with her. While he was dense about most things, he had loved her for years now. They had been completely platonic. He was going to ask her to go on this hundred year mission with him but then the whole team had been necessary so he had just dragged her along. But having to act like they were married… It made him want to actually be married to her. Not to act but to hold her when they were alone. He knew she was happy with him but she had given him no reason to think that she was anything but friends with him.

Aco gave him a glance and Natsu schooled his expression to a calm smile, as though he had been laughing moments before.

"My Lucy, you are so lovely when you're laughin'," Natsu held in a snort, "You need a husband who makes you laugh like I do."

Natsu was about to tell him off but as usual Lucy handled it well.

"Haha Aco, you must stop joking like that! Natsu might go up in flames." She smiled at a joke that only Natsu understood; they'd been forced to hide their magic. "I wouldn't want my beloved husband to get hurt." She giggled, enrapturing both men in the beautiful chime.

"Ah yes of course, dear Lucy. We wouldn't want that."

Natsu admired her way of dealing with Aco. She easily skirted his advances with a sway of her hips and a smile that left both of them speechless. His thoughts cut short by her voice, he looked up again.

"Are you ready Natsu? I think I need to get some sleep. All this laughing has worn me out!" Aco looked disappointed; Natsu looked utterly ecstatic.

"Yosh! Lets go cuddle!"

Lucy blushed pink and whacked him for the insinuation before bidding her goodbyes to Aco. Together they wandered back to their room, which they shared to keep up appearances. Lucy began undressing, something they'd both gotten used to in nine years of living together. However, each day it was it was a little harder for Natsu not to stare. And today he took his chances, taking his place on the bed.

She had stripped down to her undergarments and was pulling on a night dress when he said something.

"Lucy… I know that everything you say out there… It's just an act and I know that! I just… well…" Natsu stumbled over his words trying to make her understand.

Lucy had been changing and she had just pulled down the white cotton night dress when she heard Natsu behind her. She had started changing in front of him several years ago because she had hoped it would capture his attention. She had loved him since the day he had told her they would always be together. It had been a grueling battle all those years ago and she had thought she lost him. But when she wrote her book she had made the protagonist end up with the Natsu-like character.

However, Natsu had few interests and none of them were girls. He was fiercely protective and that she relished in, but he would do that for any of the guild members and she couldn't bear to think he didn't see her as different from any of them. She knew that was the case though.

He had always been a man of simplicity: food, friends, family… but women? No that was too complicated for his lifestyle most likely. Or at least that's what she was telling herself. After all of these years she hadn't caught him looking at he undress once. Not once!

She considered the fact that he simply didn't think she was attractive. That was possible. After all, Gajeel was a dragon slayer and he liked Levy who was tiny and skinny and was less endowed than she was. So, maybe it was a dragon slayer thing?

She couldn't say but she knew how she felt: she loved him, which was why she had done her best to not make him uncomfortable.

"Lucy… I know that everything you say out there… It's just an act and I know that! I just… well…" That wasn't true. Everything she said to him out there was from the heart. She moved to the edge of the bed.

"Natsu? Have I…" It suddenly came to mind that maybe saying things from the heart made Natsu uncomfortable. Perhaps she had been over zealous because she knew it was an act. "Have I been making you uncomfortable? I am so so sorry! I didn't mean to! I thought you were okay with it and you never really had a problem with clinginess but maybe I didn't consider your feelings. I am so sorry!"

She was babbling again and she shut her mouth when she saw Natsu's face. He looked really… confused?

"Uh Luce, I was just gonna say that well not that yer stuff out there is too much but that its um not… enough! Yeah well what I mean to say is that," Well this wasn't going well. Natsu stopped to think, maybe he should stop now before he got rejected, but how would he make up something to fix what he had already said?

"I am in love with you and I want it to be real!"

No, that wouldn't work. He needed to be honest but not tell her the exact truth.

Wait.

What?

Natsu's head snapped up to look at Lucy who had just spoken. She looked on the verge of tears and really sad.

"I know you didn't want to hear that but I can't do it anymore. I had to tell you and I know you don't feel the same so I am gonna… go take a bath! Okay bye!"

She jumped up to leave but Natsu's senses came to as she started walking away. He grabbed her by the left hand and pulled her back. She looked surprised and he relished in the glimpse of her before he pushed his lips onto hers. She gasped as she felt him hold her. It was nothing like the very careful displays of affection out there.

Instead, it was warm. He was warm and kind and so strong. She melted into it. Closing her eyes and wistfully feeling his lips caress her own. Naturally, she leaned into him and held his face in her hands. The kiss was gentle and sweet but it spoke volumes. He didn't take more than he thought appropriate. He didn't dive in and spoil the moment. He just kissed her briefly and lovingly.

"I thought you didn't feel the same." Lucy whispered, pulling away with tears in her eyes.

"Silly… I have always felt this way!"

She laughed, a real one. One that Aco would probably never see, and it would definitely not be caused by him if he did. Natsu grinned at her and buried his face in her hair, tipping backwards onto the pillows. And there they fell asleep, as they had many times as husband and wife but for the first time as a real couple.


End file.
